Alteration of Regional Homogeneity within the Sensorimotor Network after Spinal Cord Decompression in Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy: A Resting-State fMRI Study

Biomed Res Int. 2015:2015:647958. doi: 10.1155/2015/647958. Epub 2015 Oct 29.

Abstract

There is a lack of longitudinal research to evaluate the function of neurons' adaptive changes within the sensorimotor network (SMN) following recovery after cervical cord decompression. Regional homogeneity (ReHo) may provide information that is critical to fully understand CSM-related functional neural synchrony alterations. The purpose of this study was to assess the ReHo alterations of resting state-functional MRI (rs-fMRI) within pre- and postdecompression CSM and healthy controls (HC) and its correlations with clinical indices. Predecompression CSM demonstrated a significantly lower ReHo in the left primary sensory cortex and primary motor cortex (PostG/PreG) but enhanced ReHo in the right superior parietal lobule (SPL) compared with HC. In comparison with predecompression CSM, the postdecompression CSM showed increased ReHo in the left PostG/PreG but significantly lower ReHo in the right SPL compared with HC patients. Abnormal ReHo regions in pre- or postdecompression CSM showed no significant correlation with the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scores, Neck Disability Index (NDI) scores, and disease duration (P > 0.05). This result demonstrated disrupted regional homogeneity within SMN in CSM. This adaptive change in the brain may favor the preservation of sensorimotor networks before and after cervical cord decompression and clinical symptoms independent of ReHo within SMN.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Decompression, Surgical*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Nerve Net* / diagnostic imaging
  • Nerve Net* / physiopathology
  • Nerve Net* / surgery
  • Radiography
  • Sensorimotor Cortex* / diagnostic imaging
  • Sensorimotor Cortex* / physiopathology
  • Sensorimotor Cortex* / surgery
  • Spinal Cord* / diagnostic imaging
  • Spinal Cord* / physiopathology
  • Spinal Cord* / surgery
  • Spondylosis* / diagnostic imaging
  • Spondylosis* / physiopathology
  • Spondylosis* / surgery